Tiny Titaness
by fictionfangirl1
Summary: Rayelynn Barstow (Main OC), or Rae for short, is a new girl from California and moves to her mother's old hometown with her parents. She's played football ever since she was little and joins the TC Williams team in the midst of a school's integration effort. How will the guys react to this African American girl and will they have her back when the world seems to disagree with them?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey it's me, fictionfangirl1, and I'm back with another story with an OC insert. I loved this movie ever since I saw it for the first time in 10** **th** **grade; and since I play flag football in college now, I just wondered how the movie would be if a black girl joined the TC Williams team. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review for this and my other stories!**

 **DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are my OC(s), Disney owns everything else!**

A new family from Los Angeles, California was driving down the swerving roads of Alexandria, Virginia in the family truck: a '66 dark blue Jeep Gladiator. In said car was a father, mother, and their only daughter, who was slightly mashed up against the window; but she was alright with it. It was the summer of 1971 and the girl's family decided to make the move to her mother's old hometown.

She could see the immediate difference in the environment. It was nothing like LA. Home was way more accepting and relaxed than Alexandria. In this town, the integration was more forced and you could see the tension between black and white people. "Hey Ma? Is Virginia like you remember it?" the girl asked. "I don't know, Rae. It's changed since I left, that's for sure," her mother replied. The woman looked like one of those backup singers for a musical group with her hair styled like Diahann Carroll, complete with soft and caring hazel eyes. Rae's father looked younger than he was and had a small afro with dark brown eyes.

The car drove up to a house at the edge of a street which was not too far from the new school the girl would be attending, T.C. Williams. It was recently announced that it would be integrated in the upcoming school year. But that wasn't what interested Rae (short for Rayelynn). She researched the ins and outs of the sport team regulations, specifically for football. There was a fine print amendment in the rulebook that stated if there was no specific girls' team, then females could try out for the boys' team. And she was determined to try out and possibly play on the team.

You see, Rae had three older brothers and played football with them when she was little, with a bit of coaching from her father. Now, her eldest brother was in the Navy and wouldn't be back until maybe Christmas; her two elder twin brothers were in college and they all played football during their high school days. In was in her blood, and she took after them so much.

She absolutely detested anything "girly" and would often wear jeans, t-shirts, and regular pants; no dresses or skirts. This annoyed her mother to no end, and often made her worry about when she would play with her dad in the front yard or pretend wrestle with her brothers. Rae stood at a small, but respectable height of 5'4'' and weighed 110 pounds. She had pitch black hair that was in a pixie cut with bangs that were swept to the left and had her father's dark brown eyes.

"It is nice to be back home, but I ain't gonna lie. Things are different here," her mom continued. "What do you mean?" Rae asked uncertainly. Rae's dad cut right to the chase and replied, "It's racist over here, baby. The black folks here aren't accepted like back in LA. But since they're integrating the school, maybe things'll change for the better."

The family started to unpack their car and move their things into the new house when a voice came up and yelled, "Hey!" Rae turns around and sees a young man who looks like one of her brothers and is waving at them from a few houses down. She waves back and jumps out of the trunk to go talk to him. She could see that this boy was built for sports and was quite attractive in strong, no-nonsense type of way. "Y'all must be our new neighbors. I'm Julius. Julius Campbell." "Nice to meet ya. My name's Rae Barstow," she replies hold her hand out for him to shake. "You headin' to T.C. Williams?" "That's right, and I'm guessin' you are as well," Julius wondered while shaking her hand. She nodded and went back to her family's pickup and continued to unload boxes. "Let me take those for you," Julius offered. "Naw, I got it. Thanks though," Rae said as she lifted two large boxes and one small box in a stack.

"Look at my girl, making friends already," Rae's father said from under the car hood, after giving it a once over. Julius noticed how much Rae took after her dad as she was handing him the tools he needed. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Barstow," he said. "No need to be formal with me, son. Call me Saul," Rae's father insisted.

After everything was unpacked and the family had moved in, Rae thanked Julius for his help and Mr. Barstow invited him to come over anytime. As her new friend was leaving, Mrs. Florence Barstow came outside and said, "Who were you talking to dear?" "Rae's new friend, Julius," Saul replied. "He seems like a nice boy," Florence commented looking at her daughter. "Yeah… but wait 'til school starts up," Rae mused before going inside their new house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, people are slowly starting to acknowledge this story. Y'all are busy and may not have time. I completely understand. Here's the next chapter.**

 **DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are my OC(s), Disney owns everything else!**

The next couple of days sped by in a blur as Rae prepared her sports clothes and school clothes. She wanted to make a good impression on the coach for the Titans and get a spot on the team, despite the fact that she would be the only girl. Her dad kept reassuring her that she was well qualified, but her mom was still a bit on the nervous side of how they would treat her baby and that the only time you saw girls on the field was if they were cheerleaders.

Rae also learned that Julius was going for the team and that there was a mandatory meeting for those interested this season. _Watch, there ain't gonna be one black dude willing to go over to the white side, or vice versa._ She waited until Julius was far enough away so that she started walking to the gym for the meeting.

Rae opened the doors to the gym and saw that all of the people that had arrived were black, and no one had mixed up the group yet. "We gonna play some ball, my man! Black inside! Uh, uh, uh, uh!" She hears a teen with a charming boyish face yell while high-fiving the other guys. "Yo, Petey!" Another male shouts the smiley boy's name getting his attention. "How many yards you figure you gon' get?" "You know I ain't the one to brag, Big Blue. But I figure at least a thousand," Petey told his friend.

"Who knows? You may get more," I piped up. That made Petey and Big Blue whip their heads around to look for my voice. "Down here," I said jokingly. They switched their gaze down to my height and looked at me in jest. "Well, lookie here! We got ourselves a Titaness. You figure you gonna steal some yards from me, doll?" "Naw, but I was puttin' in my two-bits worth if that helps," I replied. Apparently Julius heard my voice and came over to us. "Rae, what are you doin' here?" "Hey Julius. I'm here 'cause I want to try out like all y'all," I said, and noticed that Petey and Blue went back to their conversation and Blue started to sing. "Didn't I tell you how them white boys weren't gonna play for no brother?" Julius asked Blue. "Hey, who needs them, baby? From now on, the Titans is gonna have soul power!" Blue cheered and Rae started to hum along with him.

All of a sudden, a shrill whistle pierces the air and in come two dark skinned males in TC Williams polo shirts and beige pants. The one with the whistle around his neck walks over to get a look at all of the black players. He stops at Petey, who still has a grin on his face and his hand in the air like he was in a classroom. "Put your hand down," Whistle Man almost shouts. Petey obeys but still has that goofy grin on his face. "You're smiling." "Yes…" Petey hesitantly responds before correcting himself by saying "Yessir!" "Why are you smiling?" Whistle Man asks with a hard tone in his voice. "'Cause I love football. It's fun," Petey responds slowly, not wanting to upset the man in front of him. _That kid is gonna die under this man's glare._ "Fun, sir. It's fun? Are you sure?" the man continues with his voice raised. "I think –" Petey starts, but the man cuts him off. "So now you're thinkin'. First you smile, then you think. You think football is still fun?" "Um, yes!" Petey smiles again, until he quickly takes it back, showing his awkwardness in the situation. "Sir," the man reminds the boy. "Yes – Uh, no, sir. Well, it was fun," Petey stutters under the man's steel glare. "Not fun anymore, is it?" the man shouts, spooking Petey and the boy manages to get out a couple of no's. "No, it's not fun anymore. Not even a little bit?" Petey comes up with an "Um…no." "Make up your mind! Go ahead," the man urges on. "Make up your mind, think since you're thinking!"

"No, sir." "No? Absolutely not?" "Zero fun, sir," Petey finishes with a small smirk. The man finally steps away from him and continues pacing, "Alright listen up! I'm Coach Boone. I'm gonna tell you all how much _fun_ you gonna have this season." He directed that last part at Petey, reminding everyone of their conversation. "We leave for camp: Gettysburg College. August 15; 7:29 AM. If you get there at 7:30, you will not be playin' this season; you'll be watching." He even goes on to tell everyone that they are to wear proper attire and look professional, going on to say how bad some of the players looked. _Great, I gotta wear a damn dress as if I going to work with Mom!_ Rae groaned in her mind. "This is not a democracy; this is a dictatorship. I am the law. If you survive camp, you will be on the team. _If you survive._ Check 'em in, Coach," He said before turning it over to the other coach that came in. "Checkin' them in! I am Coach Hinds, your offensive line coach. Yell out your name and position, starting from the right side." "Petey Jones: running back. THE running back, y'all!" Petey declares happily causing a lot of the guys to laugh with him. "Jerry Harris: quarterback," another boy states with someone at the edge shouting, "Rev!" He's got a soft smile and a sort of "good boy" attitude around him. "Rev?" Boone wondered. "It's just a nickname," he explains.

"Now, hold on, before we continue…young lady, what may I ask are you doing here?" Boone turns to me, causing all of the guys to glance in my direction, most of them surprised that a girl showed up. "I'm sorry, Coach Boone, sir. I…would like to try out for the team" Rae starts, but ends up getting nervous under the scrutinizing glare of the coach. "Speak up, and tell me what position you play Miss…" Boone stops when he expects my name. Gathering up any courage left her, the girl looks at him, dead in his eyes, speaks up and says, "Rae Barstow, and I'm offensive tight end." "Well, Miss Barstow, I hope you're aware that this team-" Boone starts before Rae interrupts him. "Pardon the interruption, sir. I know I'm reachin' out there, but please give me a shot to show you my skill, before you tell me no. Y'all don't own me anything, why, know me from another girl off the street; all I'm asking is for you to let me demonstrate what I can do, and I don't think it will waste your time nor will you be disappointed."

Coach Boone narrowed his eyes at her mini plea, turned his head towards Coach Hinds, then set his gaze back to Rae. "See me after the meeting, young lady." "Yessir!" Rae responds without missing a beat, and Coach Boone nods her way.

Just then, a large white teen makes his way over to Coach Boone, trying to catch his breath. "And who in the name of Heaven might you be?" Coach Hinds asks. "Louie Lastik: offensive lineman. Naval family, we just moved in from Bayone. Somebody said football, and I came runnin'. What's going on, everyone?" the heavy guy answers, but an awkward silence fills the room. _Glad to see someone trying to mix us up,_ Rae mused.

Not three seconds later, the doors were pushed open again, and this time a bunch of other guys with another two men in TC polos and beige pants entered the gym. The only major difference was that they were white. The tension in the air was so thick, you could almost see it. Being the only girl with short hair brought some attention to me from the white side. The whispers quieted down after Coach Boone and Coach Yoast of the white players had their little pow wow.

The group was then dismissed after a last-minute reminder of camp and what to wear. Rae jogged over to Coach Boone so she could see what he wanted to talk to her about. "Miss Barstow, this is Coach Yoast for the defense and Coach Tyrell of the Special Teams. I believe you wanted to prove to us why you would be valuable to the team." "Yessir, and regardless of y'alls decision, thank you for this opportunity," Rae answered. A group of boys, both black and white stayed behind to see the girl who was trying out, and what she could do on the field.

"Go long, Barstow!" Coach Tyrell called and that was Rae's cue to run like hell from the 30-yard line and attempt to catch a far pass. She caught it with ease at the 15-yard line on the other side of the field. This drill happened a couple more times and Yoast switched off from catching to blocking. "How well do you think you can hold your block?" "I'll do my best, sir" Rae answered. Yoast called over a young man with a stern face and told us to get into position. "Down…Set! Hut!" He pushed against her and she pushed against him. Neither of them wanted to give in to the other. This continued on with four more guys until Coach Yoast called the drill off and asked, "Have you ever played football before?" "Not on a team, sir. Just with my brothers and father. I also did a little bit of track and field," Rae replied.

After about two minutes of delegation between the coaches, Coach Boone spoke up, "Will we be seeing you at camp, Miss Barstow?" "If y'all will take me, then, yes sir!" Rae replied with a grin almost as big as Petey's. Coach Boone nodded with a small smile on his lips, "See you August 15th." "At 7:29, _not_ 7:30 in professional attire!" Rae called while jogging back to her house. Coach Boone looks at her retreating figure speechless and laughs to himself. "Can you believe the audacity of that girl?" "Are you sure that we should have her practice with the boys?" Coach Yoast asks and receives a knowing stare from Coach Boone. "The girl's tough, and is willing to work for a goal," Boone comments. Yoast thinks back to before the exhibition and how some of the boys muttered words of doubt for her under their breath; however, he thinks to himself, " _Perhaps she could help get these boys together, both black and white. And maybe she would get along fine with Sheryl._ "The boys that stuck around to see Rae's exhibition had mixed expressions. Some went slack jawed that a girl made it on the team, while others were impressed that she was tough. The only one whose expression didn't change was the one who had a stern face through the whole show.

That night at dinner, Rae told her parents, wrote a letter to her brother in the Navy, Marcus, and called her twin brothers, Tyler and Kenneth. Saul spun around the room hugging his daughter, saying how he was proud of his little linewoman. Florence was happy for Rae, but still was apprehensive that she would be playing a rough sport, with a bunch of boys, no less. The time between now and August 15th couldn't come fast enough for Rae.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to those who posted reviews so far! I also want to thank you guys for following and favoriting. Hopefully more people will start reading and/or keep tabs on this story. Also, sorry for taking so long with the updates. I am trying to bounce back from a bad college semester, and I'm focusing on finals right now as well as working on my other stories, so the new chapters might be coming in slowly. Thanks for your patience and support!**

 **DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are my OC(s), Disney owns everything else!**

August 15 finally came and Rae couldn't be more excited. She woke up early that morning and found her mother reading the morning paper and her father at the stove. "Daddy's cooking? Lord, have mercy!" Rae exclaimed dramatically, getting her mom to laugh with her. "Oh, you think you're fresh, huh, little girl?" Saul retorted back in jest, pointing the spatula at her. "But seriously, what's the occasion? You rarely cook breakfast. Usually it's either Mom or me here at the stove," Rae wondered. "We just wanted to send you off to camp with good wishes before you leave. Your father even made your favorite: short-stacked pancakes, bacon, and some toast," Florence answered as Saul put the plate in front of Rae. "Besides, we want to meet the coaches that accepted you."

"Eat up, champ. You gotta get dressed properly and be there by 7:29, right?" Saul asked. "Dammit," Rae muttered under her breath, slightly hoping that they would forget about the professional attire. "Language, Rayelynn. Besides, it's just on the way there. It ain't like you gotta wear it the whole time at camp," Florence said. "I guess," Rae mused while eating. "I got the perfect outfit for you, dear." Florence practically dragged her daughter to hers and Saul's room. "Now, where is it?" she wondered while sifting through her work outfits. When she reached the back of the row, she pulled out a sharp-looking black pantsuit. "Your Aunt Clarisa gave me this for Christmas two years ago, but it doesn't fit me. Maybe you'll get into it." Rae hurried to get dressed and showed her mother. "It fits," Florence gasps. With her bags packed from the day before, the family headed over to the school gym.

Both of her parents drove down in their Jeep and saw the other players either boarding the buses or they were already on them. However, the players and their families were completely divided. Not only did the white and black players get into separate buses, but their families stood on separate sides of the parking lot. Rae happened to spot a familiar face about to head up to the bus, "Hey, Julius." "Rae, what's gon' on?" he responds with a one-armed hug. "Julius, how are you, son? Haven't seen you much since we moved in," Rae's dad greets as he patted him on the back. "I'm fine, Mr. Saul. Is Rae going to camp with us?" Julius asks. "Absolutely," he responds pointing to her bags. "Now, don't doubt her abilities. She's been playin' with her brothers ever since she was a little thing. Being the only girl never stopped her, and it doesn't bother her now." "I may be tiny, but I bet I could run circles around you, Campbell," Rae scolds playfully. "Is that a challenge, Barstow?" Julius retorts back in jest. "Maybe it is," Rae quips. "Alright, you, go find your mother and take her to the Coach," Saul advises. Rae looks for her mom and heads off in her direction. "Son, make sure you watch over my little girl at camp, will you? She may kill it on the field, but as her father, I worry about how the others will treat her. Also, her mother is on edge with her even doing this thing, cause this sport is pretty dangerous. Can I depend on you?" "I'll do my best, sir," Julius responds and earns a quiet, "Good man" from Saul.

"Coach Boone! Coach!" Rae calls causing him to look her way. "Well, well! Good morning to you Miss Barstow. Glad to see you here early and properly dressed!" Coach Boone greets the girl and shakes her hand. Rae also greets Yoast and Tyrell before her parents come over. "I wanted to introduce my parents to y'all," she motions to her mother and father standing on both sides of her.

Saul reaches out and greets them firmly with Florence gently shaking their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you coaches. Saul Barstow, and this is my wife, Florence," he announces and gestures to her. "We want to thank you for accepting her on the team." "It's not a problem, Mr. Barstow. We look forward to having her and she made a convincing argument during the meeting," Coach Yoast responded. "Will she be doing the same practice workouts as the gentlemen? If so, is it safe?" Florence asked, trying to hide her nervousness. "Mrs. Barstow, I can assure you that she will not be treated differently than any of the other players, and we will ensure the safety of all," Coach Boone replies. "Besides, your daughter has a strong will and looks capable of holding her own slack. We could use a player like her on the team." "That's good, and thank you Coach," Florence said, relieved.

Her parents took her off to the side one more time and gave her a quick good-luck hug and kiss before she boarded the bus with the black players. Rae started looking for a seat, but instead found familiar faces from the meeting. "Hey y'all! What's good?" she calls out. They glance over to her and her bags, surprised that a girl was joining them. "Wow, would you look at that! If it isn't the Titaness doll!" Petey smiles from his seat and goes to greet her. "The one…and only, Petey!" Rae points to herself in jest and high-fives the grinning boy. She hears Big Blue humming, and leans over to him and cheers "Sing it, Blue! Sang it loud and proud, man! Give us that soul power." This gets the guys cheering for him, and Big Blue starts humming louder until she turns to Julius and sits next to him, "Ready to play some football, Campbell?" "As ready as you are, Barstow," Julius responds with a slight smirk. "Hold up, hold up. How come you know our names, but we ain't heard yours, girl? That's a cryin' shame! And how do you and Julius know each other?" Blue asks, pausing his humming. "Right, how silly of me. I'm Rae Barstow, and I live a few houses down from Julius," Rae responds receiving hand slaps from around her. "Well, alright then, baby!" Petey announces shaking her hand. Rae turns to another boy and it's the one who has the "good boy" attitude around him. "I'm Jerry Harris, but you can call me Rev. Everyone else does. Nice to meet you, Rae," he greets politely. "Likewise, Rev. You're a quarterback, if I remember correctly," Rae responds. "Yes, ma'am." Rev said smiling warmly at his new teammate. "Rev, ain't no need for this 'Yes, ma'am' business around me. We're all friends here," Rae gently shut down.

Outside the bus, she could hear Coach Boone mock two white players named "Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin" in front of the crowd. But the man's ire didn't end there. He came on to the buses and pulled everyone out. "Listen up; I don't care if you're black, green, blue, white, or orange. I want all of my defensive players on this side, and all players going for offense over here." They all got into their lines and he started pairing them up to sit next to each other. "Get comfy, because the person I have you sitting next to is the same one you will be rooming with for the duration of this camp."

"Miss Barstow, you will be rooming with my daughter, Sheryl. Usually she has a room with me, but it would make sense for you to be with her since you're both girls," Coach Yoast said and pulled Rae aside. "I understand, Coach," Rae replies. "Go find a seat on the offensive bus. There should be some room since the others have a partner." Rae nodded and started looking for an empty seat inside the bus. She eventually found one near the back and sat down in awkward silence. The tension was so thick; you could cut it with a butter knife.

" _Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enough. Ain't no valley low enough, ain't no…_ " Blue started to sing. He tried to get Julius to sing with him, but he wouldn't even crack a smile. Blue tried with a player in front of him, and they started singing some more until Julius got annoyed at them. "Blue, shut up. I don't want to see you smilin' and shufflin', and hear all yo' minstrel show singing on this bus. You too." "Jerry Lewis" was sitting next to him and added his criticism while looking at the window, "You got that right." "You can shut up, too," Julius snapped at him. I whispered to myself, "Lord, give these fools strength not to kill each other at camp."

When the buses finally arrived at Gettysburg College, all of the boys rushed out of them like they were on fire, hurrying to grab their bags. Rae was about to grab her stuff when the stern-faced boy shoved her and made her fall, "Outta my way, nigra. Besides, you won't last long here, anyways." Rae, irked at his choice of terminology, huffed in response. "Doll, you alright? How'd you fall?" Petey asked as he found her on the ground. "Jerk pushed me down as I was grabbin' my bag," she said. "Where's that white boy?" he started to charge, but Rae held him back. "Don't; we're here to play football, not fight and get kicked out after the first day," Rae warned. "At least let me help you," Petey offered. "Thanks, man," she accepted and he helped her up and got her bag for her.

"Barstow, this is my daughter, Sheryl. Sheryl, meet your roommate, Rae," Coach Yoast motions between her and his daughter. "Nice to meet you, Rae," Sheryl replies, but Rae could tell that it was kind of forced. "You as well, Sheryl," Rae returns back with a handshake. "Good to know I can talk football with a girl, and not just with Daddy," Sheryl says kind of smiling. "Likewise," Rae responded as Coach Yoast led them to their room.

The girls had barely sat down on their beds when they heard shouting from the hallway. Rae and Sheryl peeked their heads out from the doorway. "What's goin' on?" the little girl asked. "I don' know, but stay inside. I'll go check it out," Rae warned. "What?" Sheryl complained. "Your daddy would kill me if you got hurt in this crowd, and I was supposed to be watching you, so stay here, okay?" Rae explained. "Fine," the girl pouted and Rae went to go investigate. "What the hell?!" "Whoa girlie, you don't wanna go in there," someone held onto Rae's shoulders and she turned around to see Rev holding her back. "What happened?" she asked. "Not sure, but Julius and Gerry are rooming in there," he pointed over the crowd of guys. Rae wiggled out of Rev's grip and wormed her way to the center. "Who started it?" she asked over the shouting. One of the white boys, a bit caught up in the fight, didn't notice her but answered. "Don't know, they just started arguing…" He didn't finish when everyone started backing up and gave Julius and Gerry space to tussle. Not three seconds later, a pained cry echoed through the hall and the crowd went silent. Apparently, Gerry had accidentally punched Rae in the face, where a black eye would soon form. He was aiming for Julius, but missed and hit the girl instead. There were hisses from both sides until black and white started to go crazy on each other. There were shouts from both sides blaming each other.

"What is going on here?!" Coach Boone's voice bellowed and got everyone to quiet down. "A bunch of tough guys, huh?" He paces up and down the room where the coaches are standing in front of the players. "You look like a bunch of 5th grade sissies after a catfight. No offense, Barstow," he replies, taking a quick glance at the girl with a blooming black eye. "None taken," Rae responds quietly. "You got anger, that's good. You're gonna need it, son," Coach Boone says to Julius with a hard look on his face. "You've got aggression, that's even better. You're gonna need that, too," he directs this at Gerry who gives him a hard look back. "But any little two-year-old can throw a fit. Football is about controlling that anger. Harnessing that aggression into a team effort to achieve perfection!" He continues his speech. "No some coaches, they cut a player if they think they're not up to snuff. When they think the player is hurting the team," he lectures on. It is dead silent in the room. "But this is a public school program. I will never, _ever_ , cut a player who comes to play for me. But when you put on that Titan uniform, you'd better come to work." He finishes his lecture with the following ultimatum. "We will be perfect, in every aspect of the game. If you drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, and I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts…and _then_ you will run a mile. Perfection!...Let's go to work."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the hold up with the updates, I am working on this as well as my other stories, all featuring female OC-inserts. Thanks for reviewing, reading, following, and favoriting!**

 **DISCLAIMER: The only things I own are my OC(s), Disney owns everything else!**

The next day was _hell, pure hell_. Waking up early was never a strong suit for Rae, and it didn't help that Sheryl was shaking her and almost yelling in her ear to get up, "Alrigh', I'm up." The day was filled with sounds of players hitting the football dummies and player shields. "Get up, boy! Get up, get up, get up!" Coach Boone was yelling at some players who were doing a rolling drill. "Get that head up!" Coach Tyrell was drilling players who were working on their knee-high steps. Then the coaches lined everyone up in rows and had them stepping in place quickly until the whistle sounded, they dropped to their hands and knees until another whistle, then the players were lying down on their front sides, whistle, roll over on their backs, whistle, roll back over, whistle, pop up on hands and knees, whistle, squatting positions, whistle, stepping in place, and repeat the whole process over again. Coach Yoast was on the sidelines with a group of offensive and defensive players and Sheryl was yelling at them to watch defense. The players in the rows were still doing their drill when one player didn't exactly go down at the same time the others did and Coach Boone noticed this. "Get outta here! Go!" he dragged the player back the back of his jersey and threw him out of the formation. Next came sit ups, and every player was grunting in effort. They ran drills throughout the entire day. Then came a practice drill when a few offensive and defensive players were running through a practice play. Everything was fine up until Petey dropped the ball he caught and was tackled right after. "Fumble, fumble, fumble!" someone shouted and that distracted Rae. The one who she was guarding took advantage of her not paying attention dove after the ball, tackling her in the process.

"What is wrong with you?! Why are you fumbling my football?!" Coach Boone shouted at Petey who was looking down in shame. "If my blockers were better…" he started. "No, your blockers ain't got nothin' to do with you holding the ball! Did your blockers fumble the ball, or did you fumble the football?!" Boone demanded. "I did, sir," Petey responds. "All right, now how many feet are in a mile? How many, Petey?" he continued. Petey didn't answer right away and Coach Boone smacked his helmet and asked him again. "5,280 feet! You pick this ball up, and you run every one of them! Ya killin' me Petey!" the irritated Coach yelled, and Petey started running his punishment mile.

"Now where do you think you're going, Barstow?" he called as he spotted Rae moving out of formation and running on the track. "I'm running my mile, Coach," Rae declared. "I did not tell you to run, I told Petey," Coach Boone said. "Yes, but…" she started and that was the wrong thing to say. "Yes, but what? Are you contradicting me?!" Boone shouted. "No, I am not contradicting you, sir" Rae responded. "Then why are you about to run a mile, while nobody told you to, when you are supposed to be in your formation?!" "I got distracted from someone yelling fumble and missed an important block. And I believe you said that if you miss a blocking assignment, to go run a mile," Rae explained. "Alright then, go run your mile. Were you paying attention to how many feet are in a mile?" Coach asked. "There's 5,280 in a mile, sir!" Rae answered. "Then go run those 5,280 feet!" Rae eventually caught up with Petey, who had his head lowered while holding his football and ran. "You okay?" she asked, but he didn't respond. "Petey?" she tried again, and no answer. "Petey!" she called and finally he said in an irritated tone, "What?" "I asked if you were okay, but I guess not," Rae backed off. "Why you here, doll?" "Missed a block." "Why does he always gotta rag on just me like that?!" Petey shouted in frustration. "It's bad enough we get heat from _those_ people," he said pointing to the white players, "but now he's constantly on my back! I'm about to ditch this stupid camp!" "Hey, you ain't leavin' as long as I'm here. There's a bunch of times where I feel like I wanna leave. You think I got it easy? These guys, both black and white have been trying to knock me down since day one, just 'cuz I'm the only girl player and keep telling me that I don't belong here. I hafta work twice, maybe even three times as hard as you boys do. I do that to prove why I need to be here," Rae rebutted. "How come you don't hear it out loud?" Petey asks, slightly intrigued. "Cause they're smart enough to know when to say it and how to make it hurt," Rae said. "Also, think about your position, man. You THE running back, remember? You're one of the most important players out there on the field, being the fastest and first responders. The running back is _valuable!_ You're one of the fastest people out there. That's why Coach harps on ya like that. True, he doesn't need to be harsh like he was, but he knows that you can do your job." "You serious?" he questions her in a low voice. "Hell yeah I'm serious! Don't focus on the yelling, focus on the message he's tryin to tell you. You ain't THE running back for nothin'," Rae finished and continued her mile.

Later at lunch, Rae was looking for a seat. She finds Rev waving her over and sits next to him. "Look at that traitor, sitting next the she-nigra" Ray Budds, the stern-faced boy who was sitting next to Gerry and Alan Bosely, mutters. The traitor he was referring to was Louie Lastik, who decided to take a seat with the black players. "What you doin', man?" Julius asks. "Eatin' lunch," Louie answers, like it's the most basic thing. "I see you eatin' lunch, but why are you eatin' over here, and not with _your_ people?" Julius asks again. "I don't have any people. I'm with everybody, Julius," Louie says with a smile. "Yeah, he's just a light-skinned brother!" Blue joins in. "Yeah, and I'm a dark-skinned cracker," Julius mumbles. "You okay, girlie? That eye of yours ain't lookin' too good," Louie comments. "It just hurt for a second. It'll get better in a little while, I'm okay," Rae waves off. "Yeah, one of your people did this to her," Julius mutters to Louie. "Whom you happened to be fighting, but it was an accident, so just let it go, 'cause it wasn't your fault," Rae said. "Come on, Julius. He's just another other blessed child in God's loving family," Rev piped up and started humming _Amazing Grace_ with Blue. Then he moves on to praying to God to 'soften Julius Campbell's heart' and Rae responds with an 'Amen!' which earns her a glare from Julius. She starts humming along with Blue and Rev in harmony. "Whoo! Sing it, girl!" Blue praises Rae's humming and the three of them end on a sweet 3-tone finisher.

"Rev, he better be praying that I block his black behind" Ray sneers in disgust. Gerry catches this and says "Yeah, but Ray, if you don't block, you're not gonna start." "Oh, I'll start. I'm just bidding my time," Ray replies. Gerry just looks at him for a while, decides not to dwell on it anymore, and goes back to eating his food. Meanwhile, Alan is caught between listening to his white teammates' conversation and looking over at the black table, specifically Rae, whose humming catches his ears.

"Lastik," Coach Boone calls and the whole cafeteria is quiet. Louie stands up next to him. "I want you to tell me something about one of your black teammates." "Sir, yes, sir! I'm rooming with Blue, sir, and I noticed that he wears those leopard-spotted underwear, bikini-style, sir!" Louie says with conviction, and causes Blue to go red in embarrassment, and some of the guys laugh. "Okay, maybe someone who's not your roommate," Coach Boone revises his statement. "Sir, I eat lunch with Rev. That's Jerry Harris, sir!" Louie says. "People call him Rev 'cause he's always praying, and he won't abide a foul tongue, sir!" A few others call out "Rev!" in response. Boone keeps his stern face on, but Rae could see that he is happy with Louie's attitude towards his fellow black players. "And what's Rev gonna do after high school?" "I don't know. Go to college and all that, I guess," Louie lowers his voice. "What about you, are you gonna go to college?" Boone asked. "Not me, Coach. I ain't a brainiac like Rev," Louie responded. "Think you got a future in football?" Boone wondered. "Heck no, I just figured that if I gotta be in school, I might as well hit some people while I'm at it," Louie said with a smile, and got everyone to laugh. "A self- aware man; I like that," Boone responded, and whispered something to him about school. "So, what kind of music does the Rev like?" he continued. "Oh, me and Rev dig the Temptations," Louie replied and started soulfully singing a few lines of _Ain't Too Proud to Beg_. "Alright, alright, stop beggin'" Coach Boone laughed.

"Anybody else?...No volunteers?" he asks. "Campbell?" Boone says looking at Julius, but the boy shakes his head. "Bertier?" he tries again, but Gerry just huffs and goes back to eating. "Each of one of you will spend time _every day_ with a teammate of a different race. You will learn about them, and _his or her_ family, their likes and dislikes. You all will report back to me until you meet every one of your teammates. Until that time, we will go to three-a-day practices," Coach Boone ordered. There were groans everywhere, and the man continued his demand, "If you continue to ignore each other, we'll go on to four-a-day practices. Now is there any part of this you don't understand?" The room was filled with complains but everyone understood.


End file.
